The House 9th District poll conducted by NorthStar Campaign Systems and financed by Volaric found that the two candidates are in a statistical tie, with Levin at 43.6 percent support and the GOP nominee at 41.6 percent. The margin of error is 4.2 points.

Those figures are fairly stunning because Levin is considered the overwhelming favorite in the race. But it is the demographic breakdowns within the poll that have raised eyebrows and produced some guffaws in Democratic circles.

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NorthStar, based in Omaha, Neb., produced numbers that indicate Volaric:

Edges Levin among black voters by a 52 percent to 42 percent margin;

Holds a commanding 2-1 lead over the incumbent with Hispanic voters;

And enjoys a 59 percent to 36 percent gap among Jewish voters.

Democrats are quick to point out that their party traditionally holds comfortable margins among blacks and Hispanics and that Levin, a prominent Jewish lawmaker, is popular among Jews of either partisan persuasion.

A spokesman for Levin, Josh Drobnyk, said: “Anyone can make up a poll or use any technique to achieve their desired results — and a quick review of this so-called survey shows how fictitious it is.”

Volaric, 50, a Chesterfield Township Republican, did not issue a press release to trumpet the spectacular numbers, but his supporters are using the survey results to help the candidate’s fundraising, an area where he trails Levin by a monumental margin.

Some numbers were “somewhat surprising,” the candidate said, but his campaign has emphasized to voters that he is not aligned with either party and that he rejects prior political allegiances and norms.

“I’m not here to play Democrat or Republican,” said Volaric, an insurance agent engaged in a rematch of the 2010 election.

Two years ago, in the midst of a Republican landslide across the state, Volaric lost to Levin by a 61 percent to 35 percent margin. But the GOP contender believes that changes in congressional boundaries created by the 2011 redistricting process, particularly the addition of upscale Oakland County communities such as Bloomfield Township and the elimination of the Democratic strongholds of Southfield and Oak Park, work substantially in his favor.

The new 9th District still stretches from Lake St. Clair to Royal Oak, encompassing nearly all of Macomb County south of Hall Road, but it now curls around Pontiac after jutting out to southeast Oakland County.

Democratic political consultant Joe DiSano said the poll is far off the mark because it does not represent the district’s political demographics. In a territory that will probably vote 60 percent in favor of Democrats on Nov. 6, DiSano explained, the NorthStar survey has Mitt Romney leading Barack Obama, in part because the poll assumes that the 9th District is one-third Republicans, one-third Democrats, and one-third independents.

“I think its snake oil. It has no basis in reality. The methodology is as flawed as anything I’ve ever seen in a poll. I … think Volaric was duped,” said DiSano, a partner at Main Street Strategies in Lansing.

Matt Butler, chief marketing officer for NorthStar, said the poll, which was conducted through interactive robo-calls rather than by poll-takers, produced some extraordinary outcomes that may have resulted from the impact on voters of the struggling economy and anti-incumbent sentiments.